Old friends battle on opposite sides of law

Press, 13 August 1986, Page 19

Old friends battle on opposite sides of law

Two little boys living in a working class Brooklyn neighbourhood swear to each other that they will grow up to be rich and maybe even famous. Years later, both have succeeded. But Patrick McKay and his family are dedicated to upholding the law while Vincent Danzig and his family are dedicted to subverting it. “Our Family Honor” is a new American crimedrama series beginning on One at 10 p.m. It focuses on these two powerful families — the McKays and the Danzigs — and their inevitable clashes. Patrick McKay (Kenneth McMillan) has risen through the ranks of the police department to become chief of operations in New York and he is tipped to become the next police commissioner. Two of his three sons also joined the force. His eldest was killed in the line of duty and his youngest son, Frank, is a sergeant of detectives. His second son, Kevin, is a top criminal lawyer. Now McKay’s granddaughter, Liz, in spite of her widowed mother’s

wishes, has just graduated from the Police Academy and joined the force, finding herself posted to her Uncle Frank’s precinct — something that pleases her as little as it thrills her colleagues. Vincent Danzig (Eli Wallach) chose a life of crime. His rise through the power structure of organised crime has brought him vast wealth and a position as the head of one of the United States’ most powerful underworld families. Danzig has two sons, August (Augie) from his first wife who has since died, and Jerry from his marriage to Marianne. Augie is a somewhat inept and volatile business man who married a woman Danzig does not like, though he is very fond of their son, Mark. But Danzig’s biggest concern is controlling his younger son, Jerry, who, although loving his father, hates everything he represents. Jerry has changed his surname from Danzig to Cole and, to make matters more complicated, has begun a relationship with Liz McKay.

The intertwined lives of the Danzig and McKay families makes for good drama as the forces of good and evil clash headon. Like the characters they play both Eli Wallach and Kenneth McMillan were born in Brooklyn. Wallach has largely concentrated on live theatre work over the years, often appearing with his wife, Anne Jackson. The couple opened the Edinburgh Festival in 1984 with a play by Murray Schisgal, “Twice Around the Park.” His film credits include "How the West Was Won,” “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” and “The Misfits” with Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe.

McMillan has worked extensively on television appearing in daytime soaps like “Search For Tomorrow” and “Ryan’s Hope.” He also co-starred in the television series “Rhoda” as Jack Doyle, Rhoda’s gruff boss. His film credits include “Serpico,” “Dune,” “Oliver’s Story” and “The Stepford Wives.”